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Press Release

New York, NY, August 22, 2012 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said today’s decision by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to address the Non-Alignment Movement summit in Tehran was an “undeserved gift” to Iran that could be seen as rewarding the regime’s belligerence on the nuclear issue and escalating anti-Israel, anti-American, and anti-Semitic rhetoric and incitement.

“Talk about bad timing. The Secretary General’s decision to travel to Iran sends the wrong signal at the wrong time. It will be viewed by many in the international community as undermining the effort to prevent the terrorist regime from developing nuclear weapons,” said Abraham H. Foxman, National Director. “Mr. Ban’s decision is an undeserved gift to Iran that could have the unintended consequence of rewarding the regime for their belligerence on the nuclear issue and repeated threats to harm Israel and Jews around the world.”

Mr. Foxman added that, “Mr. Ban’s planned trip further undermines the intensive efforts by the United States and the P5+1 to make it clear to Iran that there are severe consequences for its ongoing nuclear weapons program, including economic and diplomatic isolation.”

The Secretary General’s spokesperson announced earlier today that Mr. Ban would travel to Iran to address the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit, which is being held in Tehran August 26-31. In an August 8 letter to the Secretary General, ADL urged him to decline the invitation, saying, “Your presence in the Iranian capital at this time will be counterproductive to the efforts of the international community to bring Iran into compliance with its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions.”

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.